A Ministry Of Deliverance

This was, of course, Postman Pat’s Special Gifting. I thought about PP last week, as we had lots of stuff to deliver for upcoming church events. Some ‘general’ flyers, to go to homes all round the village, others were letters addressed to specific individuals, confirming places at Holiday Bible Club.

The former were done on foot – the latter Bob and I did in the car – he drove, and I planned the most sensible route between addresses, leaping out to pop envelopes through letterboxes, then going on to the next. This worked out much cheaper than posting them all – and we knew they had reached their correct destinations.

But it made me realise what a strange world we live in. I have a number of unanswered questions. There are clearly some who do not want any communication with the outside world…

• why grow a rose bush right in front of the letterbox, so you cannot put anything through without being scratched?
• why bother with a letterbox at all if all the gates to your property are padlocked?
• why block the pathway with your three wheelie bins [2 days after the binman came]

Because of the current craze for throwing up houses on any available space and selling off the end of your garden so a property can be built there, the whole business of numbering goes out the window. So we have a number of places where houses are numbered things like 4, 4A, 4B, 4C,4D – and if you have been given leaflets for a street you may find you are a few short, because of these extras.

And please do not get me started on house names. Many of the houses in the more upmarket lanes and drives in our village do not bother with numbers at all. Which makes it harder to find the different addresses, especially when the foliage overhangs the signs. Too posh to prune?

Furthermore, why do people choose such unlikely names for properties? “Miramar” means sea-view. We are one hundred miles from the sea here! If I stood on the top of the tower of our Parish Church, I couldn’t even see Rutland Water [a mere 30 miles away]

Some names reflect when the properties were built – the village expanded greatly at the time of the Boer War, so Ladysmith, Pretoria, Spion, Mafeking and similar names crop up.

Other houses have names representing their original owners – strange combinations of surnames and first names. Others seem to be called after favourite places [from honeymoons or holidays, perhaps?]

This lovely Grade 2 listed property was once the vicarage- but  rather than “The Old Vicarage”, the owners named it “Parson’s Farewell”, a very creative way of incorporating both its former use and their passion for folk dancing.

Our house here was called The Shambles when the church purchased it for us – but is now The Manse [OK, it is still a shambles inside quite often!] I hated the original name, as The Shambles is derived from the AngloSaxon Fleshammels (literally 'flesh-shelves') where the butchers hung their meat. I have spent most of my life in  properties called “The Manse”! But although our property in Norfolk has a number, we have also given it a name – Cornerstones. It is on a corner plot, and cornerstone is a good biblical word. [I rejected the suggestion of ‘Dunpreachin’ for our retirement home]

I did decide one thing last week – if I ever lived in the property situated between 2A and 2C, I should definitely have to call it OrrNott!

Does your house have a name- and do you know why it was chosen?

De L’ombre A La Lumiere

From the shadows to the light – this was the title of a superb little video clip I saw on Tuesday at our WWDP committee in London.

One of the grants we gave last year was to a charity called iteamsFrance. Our national WWDP gives away over a quarter of a million pounds every year to various causes – which is wonderful, and as the 2013 service was planned by the women of France, this was one charity we helped.

Matt and Manu, two enthusiastic twenty-somethings came to our meeting, and talked about how they went with a team to Nepal. They went up to the villages high in the Himalayas, where there is incredible poverty. They took the Light of the Gospel – and also solar panels, so each household could have electric light in the evenings. “These people have both spiritual, and material poverty” explained the guys, and spoke of how they were able to support these friendly families. As well as poor lighting, the people also suffer with chest illnesses., because they have open fires in their homes for warmth and cooking. Simple stoves, with chimneys to the outside are much healthier – so the team took these too.

This clearly wasn’t a jolly little jaunt – the trip involved travel on very treacherous roads, much hard work, and rough living. But these lads did this for the sake of the Saviour who had brought light into their lives. Thanks M&M for sharing this challenging story with us! [Oh, and thank you dear reader, if you follow WWDP on Facebook]

Sorry, I can’t seem to get the video to load – but you can watch it by clicking here [it is just 12 minutes long]

Lassi, Come Home!

Did you weep over this 1943 classic when you were a child? Look at the poster – and notice that there is no mention of the 11 year old girl who was playing in her first MGM role. Later posters did feature Elizabeth Taylor’s name, as her career took off!

I didn’t spell the title wrongly – I just remembered the film because we have been drinking Lassi this week! I picked some up on offer in the supermarket recently. It is lovely and cool from the fridge on a hot day. Lassi is a traditional Indian yogurt based drink. There are loads of recipes out there [here is Jamie’s] But I have found that the Pakeeza Mango has a good flavour and is amazingly thick. It is currently available in Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and Asda. 1 litre is usually around £2.80, but currently £2. Because it is so thick, I dilute it 50/50 with milk and stir well. I have also frozen some lassi-lollies! The bottle has a sensible screw top, so the drink keeps fresh for a few days in the fridge. The homemade stuff needs using up faster!

Did some wise guy tell you that in the film, “Lassie” was played by a dog, and not a bitch? And that there were lots of Lassies?

A man named Rudd Weatherwax [you couldn’t make this stuff up]trained a dog originally called Pal who starred in the 1943 film, and then bred him with a number of bitches, thus producing lots of offspring who starred in subsequent movies, and made celebrity appearances worldwide, all under the name “Lassie”

I suppose you could say that Lassi is a great drink for the Dog Days of summer!

Give Me A Ring When You Are Home Safely!

Do you say that to your family when they leave you and start their journeys? My Mum even used to make sure I had a 2p coin for the call box at the end of the road when I was at Uni, so I could let her know I was back OK!! I seem to have been sending reassuring text messages to family members all over the place this week whilst I have been driving so many motorway miles [M1, M4, M25] and negotiating London traffic.

My Mum always asked “Have you got your tunnel money?” in the days when our Norfolk-Kent journeys involved going through the Dartford Tunnel [the Bridge opened a few months after her death] She was always concerned we were prepared for the trip, and was glad to know when our travels were safely over. I am just the same - it was lovely on Sunday evening to get texts from Liz and Jon asking if I’d reached their flat without problems.

Steph and Mark both travel a lot on business, but their last trip together was to Canada. This time “I’ll give you a ring when we are home safely” had a whole different meaning!

Knowing Steph’s fondness for ‘Tiffany blue’ Mark found some jewellers* in Hatton Garden who had a selection of aquamarine rings. This is the one they chose together.

And yes, they are her own nails. She maintains them beautifully! [*he researched Tiffany’s beforehand – they had no rings with stones in the right colour!] KM Church and Glenfield Hall booked for 20th June 2015. 337 days and counting…

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Thank you Floss for this one. I was sitting on a tube train on Tuesday afternoon at 3pm, after my committee, and noticed Bob had sent me a text message. I read “Gove is gone!” – and I just shouted “Hallelujah!” without thinking. Everyone looked at me. “Sorry – I have just had a message that Michael Gove is no longer in charge of Education, and this matters to me because I am a teacher” There were smiles and laughter all round the carriage. Not sure if the other travellers were sharing my joy, or pitying my apparent insanity.

Animal Antics

Usually when I arrive at the flat in Elephant and Castle, Liz and Jon help unload the car, then someone makes a cup of tea. This week they are away - so on Sunday night, I let myself in there was only Monty the Cat waiting for me. I should mention the comprehensive information and instruction list on the kitchen table- along with a bottle of Gin and some limes, and bottles of milk and tonic water in the fridge! I have drunk much tea but no G&T. Once Monty had realised I was his food provider this week, he has made a fuss of me, and scratched at my bedroom door each morning. But he will not pose for photographs. I am finding it hard writing this post on Liz's pc, so not sure if these two pictures will come out. There is another cat who lives down the road who looks remarkably similar- he could star in his own film

"I was Monty's double" is a very clever WW2 film, based on a true story and well worth watching if you have a large heap of ironing to do!









 
Monday evening I had a meal with Mark and Steph. Their pet is Ghibli the rabbit [see here for explanation] was much more amenable to a camera session. [I will post a better picture of The Ring later]
Thank you Liz&Jon for letting me have accommodation at your place while I was up in town for WWDP Committee [so much nicer than a Travelodge] and thankyou Steph&Mark for a lovely evening [and a delicious risotto which I could eat without chewing] The swelling in my cheek continues to subside, and my gum is less painful each day, for which I rejoice.

Pretty Flamingo!

My reason for being in London this week is the WWDP Committee – and this is the time of year when we launch the 2015 programme- next March our prayer day will focus on The Bahamas. Much planning and preparation has gone on behind the scenes [remember this post?] But once again, WWDP is ahead of the trend- because apparently, the must-have fashion motif for the coming season is

…the flamingo – which is the National Bird of The Bahamas [who knew?] Look at these goodies…

Debenhams dress, Tesco shorts, Dorothy Perkins tee-shirt , Sainsbury's jumper – and I am told that actress is Gwendolen Christie from Game Of Thrones [no, I have not watched any GoT – we don’t have Sky] but she clearly needs a man to hold up the end of her frock. Not a practical look for a busy girl like me!

And if you are having a party…

I have succumbed to just a little pink birdie frivolity – but I waited till the IKEA sale. I bought two of their flamingo glasses [75p reduced to 50p] They are the same shape and size as my Scandi ones, and the floral one which I use for my carafe cover.

Expect more Bahamian WWDP in the months ahead. And before you ask, NO! – there will not be a flamingo themed Wedding Reception on June 20th next year!!!

Paul Jones’ SIL was my sewing teacher in 1966!

Ticket To Ride

Last November, my friend Carole asked me to make some labels for the yellow jumpers she was knitting for her woolly sheep. These were part of a fundraising project for the church in Buckden.

Carole spends many holidays up there in the Yorkshire Dales, and wanted to support them as they tried to find funds to repair the church roof. As the Tour De France was passing through the village, they hoped to sell a few of these little chaps to the visitors. I was thrilled to receive a text from her saying they raised £1000 – that’s quite brilliant. Well done to everyone involved.

Liz managed to win tickets to see the final British stage of Le Tour, last Monday, as they rode down the Mall. She and Jon had a fabulous grandstand view, took lots of superb photos – and enjoyed champagne in the sunshine. There was even an official tdf picture of the pair of them. My two cycling fanatics look incredibly happy here!

The Commonwealth Games starts next week…the sport seems to go on and on this summer! Meanwhile, Cambridge has plans to sell off all their TDF knitted mini jumper bunting for charity [details here]

It is good to know that not only have many people had lots of fun, but others have been helped in the process.

Ä R T H G

In the spring, I borrowed some books from Dereham Library about Scandinavian embroidery – and one of them inspired me to find out more about this lady - Brita Kajsa Karlsdotter. She lived a hard life where the struggle for bread and food was her most important task each day. She had eleven children, and was good and generous. Her strong religious beliefs gave her strength through the difficulties she met in her every day life.

Often, her embroideries are signed with the letters ÄRTHG which means All The Glory Belongs To God. Brita was very poor. The material she used for table cloths were pieces of used sheet - recycling - återvinning - gjenbruk - even in the 1800s! She picked the part of the sheet that was in the best condition. More, she picked out the red cotton threads of an old towel to use for embroidering. Her inspiration was from the nature in her surroundings.Pine trees, and Swedish summer wild flowers. In old age, she could stitch, but was unable to see to thread the needles- so visitors were asked to prepare needles with lengths of red thread, so she could stitch them up later! I mention this as a note to my family for future reference.

As part of my 52 Projects, I picked up a lovely old cream woollen blanket from the Sue Ryder Shop in Dereham for just £3, and I decided to embroider each corner with Swedish style designs.

It is traditional to put one’s maiden name on such work – but I’ve just put AMH – my initials before marriage. Sydd ar mig is Swedish for Stitched by Me - and because I acknowledge that all my stitching skills are a gift, I have put Brita’s ÄRTHG  motto as well. Much Scandinavian stitchery uses blue as well as red wools – so I have done that [many of the Cornerstones furnishings are red/white/blue]

I finished the blanket on Thursday afternoon after my post –op doze, and on Friday, Bob whisked me off to Cornerstones for 24 hours [convalescing for me, grass cutting for him] The blanket is now draped on the sofa, ready for Country Living or Kirstie Allsopp to come and photograph it, in all its stylish beauty.

ÄRTHG  perfectly sums up my feelings about our little bungalow, so it seems quite appropriate that my blanket should live there!

About Time Too!

Lego will be launching a range of minifigures featuring female scientists next month. This will include an astronomer, a paleontologist, and a chemist and their equipment.

The official announcement!

Now please can I have a set of female minifigures who are sewing, preaching, and writing blogs!!

Extraction Fan

It’s out, and I am so glad of that! Despite my anxieties earlier, I can now fully recommend prompt extraction of painful wisdom teeth. The procedure went much more smoothly [and quickly] than I had expected.The consultant and his nurse were a great team, and had a wonderful comedy routine going which took my mind off things. The only hitch was at the start – the drill wasn’t working properly, and they went off to one side to get it sorted [I used those minutes for my Prayer Time] Soon all was humming away nicely and they resumed the operation.

The gum was very badly infected [hence all the recent pain] and when I saw the tooth afterwards it was Truly Horrid, with twisted roots and a rotten centre. Pain relief wore off around midday and I felt awful for a while. I dozed in front of the TV, and spent the rest of the day doing very little.

The dental nurse recommended mashed potato – so on the way home, Bob stopped at the chippy, and bought himself pie and chips, and a fishcake for me. He ate the crispy coating, and I enjoyed the soft fishy insides. Then some fancy dessert was cool and pleasant.

Bob’s been exceedingly patient and gentle with me [thankyou, Bob]Vishnal and Carolyn at Leicester Royal Infirmary – thankyou.  Finally, thank you, everybody who sent such kind wishes – I am recovering nicely. Eating, kissing and preaching all manageable now!

Knowing The Drill

As a child I was taken to see the Isle of Lewis Chessmen in the British Museum. I was told that the Queen is sitting in this melancholic pose because she is contemplating the futility of battle, and the loss of life. In recent weeks, I have reconsidered- I believe she has a nasty pain* in her wisdom tooth! Today [somewhere between 9 and 10am] the consultant at the Leicester Royal Infirmary should be operating on my recalcitrant molar [under local anaesthetic]

I am grateful to everyone who has sent me pre-op good wishes. Not quite so happy about the horror stories others have felt compelled to share. Especially useful have been some of the tips passed on

• have supplies of yogurt and ice cream on hand, as eating will be difficult post-op, and these two are especially soothing and slip down easily [Thanks, Jurenko clan]
• don’t be afraid to put up your hand if you need a break from the drill – but it will all be over much quicker if you don’t
• beforehand, make a mental list of people to pray for – then concentrate on that rather than what is happening inside your mouth. That way you will be using the time most positively.

I particularly liked the last suggestion. My usual practice in the chair is to recite the 23rd Psalm in my head- but I do not want to repeat it over and over for half an hour! Praying for others, particularly those whose pain is infinitely greater than mine seems a very sensible idea [thanks Carole V]

*in the last few days it has hurt to eat, smile and kiss. I need this op!

The Icing On The Cake

I promise you that I am not  not going to spend the next eleven months wittering on about plans for The Wedding. But I do have to warn you that Steph, Liz and I have already started surfing the net for ideas. A friend has directed me towards CakeWrecks. This site is devoted to professionally made cakes which have gone disastrously wrong.

How can the happy couple’s dreams of a beautiful future come true if the groom forgets to put on his wedding trousers? [left] not to mention beautiful being smudged

 

Why did a classically styled cake arrive on the back of a large turtle? [below]

 

Mark is fond of skiing – but I would be worried if Steph chose a cake with strange green creatures crawling up the sides.[top picture]

 

And whoever makes the cake, we will ensure they understand exactly what words, if any, should appear on it. Surely somebody at the bakery would realise that

“I love you fovere always have alway s will in lime green frosting Please Thank you”

is not quite what was meant to be inscribed on the sponge!

This website is stomach-churningly awful [but also very funny in places] My heart aches for those poor brides whose day was ruined by a mis-spelt, mis-interpreted mistake of a cake.

My own wedding cake was made by the A level students at the school where I was teaching. They baked it, and iced it – and decorated it with peach-coloured roses [same colour as the bridesmaids dresses] It looked great and tasted wonderful – but the only problem we had was that they made it in mid-June – the wedding was late August – and so the royal icing had set rock hard! We almost needed a hammer drill to get it.

What sort of wedding cake did you have?

For My Friends

A very quick post before I go off to work. If you follow Morgan at ‘Growing in the Fens’ [and even if you don’t] do please pop over to her blog and read this post which her brave daughter out up last night, and pray for this lovely family at this sad time. RIP “FH”

[Thank you Gaz, for alerting me to this one]

Feeling Like A Teenager Again!

No, I haven’t had a sudden burst of energy, or a facelift, played Simon and Garfunkel LPs, or spent the afternoon watching a young slim John Nettles playing Bergerac – no, I have just re-used a dress pattern for the fifth time! Back in 1974 I bought this McCall’s pattern for 45p. I made it long [blue and green] and short [lilac] and then in 1979 it was my used for my wedding dress in white satin.

I modified the sleeves, and the neckline – with and without the collar – I really got my money’s worth. Now I am repeating this…

This pattern looks like being equally worth the investment. So far I have converted my ‘Amish housewife dress’ into a cute little skirt, used the fabric from my neighbour Yvonne to make a yellow blouse and a Lilly Pulitzer retro tunic, and Kezzie’s sarong to make a blue cotton dress for Austria [I should mention that other delegates in Salzburg asked to photograph both these last two!]

Now I’ve made another tunic- this time I turned the neck facing to the inside, and cut the armholes deeper and faced them. The fabric is a lovely cool drapey cotton, a gift from my friend Sandie. She said she thought I could do something with the red border print. It is a little ho-hum on the hanger, but Bob says I look “Very Mary Quant” when wearing it. [I wear it with leggings- I’m too old for a mini that short!]

Mary Quant [now in her eighties!] was the designer of my youth, producing clothes which were inexpensive and practical [short, ‘so you could run for the bus more easily’ she once said] Confession – my shortest mini-skirt came in at just twelve inches long. I got told off for wearing it to a Christian Union meeting at Uni! I was [and still am] under five feet tall – it’s not as if I had legs as long as Twiggy’s

My new black border print tunic is one of my 52 Projects – I am determined that any dress fabric gifted to me will be turned promptly into something wearable. Thank you Sandie for your generosity